  Nova Scotia Peninsula (Nova Scotia, Canada) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Highest elevation | 360 m (1180 ft) |
| Highest point | Nuttby Mountain |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| Largest settlement | Halifax (pop. 316,701 [1] ) |
The Nova Scotia peninsula is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America.
The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto. It fronts the open Atlantic Ocean on the south and southeast, the Gulf of Maine to the west, the Bay of Fundy and its sub-basins to the northwest, the Northumberland Strait to the north, and the Strait of Canso to the east.
The narrow and deep waters of the Strait of Canso separate the peninsula from Cape Breton Island, the second largest land mass constituting the province of Nova Scotia.
In addition to Cape Breton Island, other much smaller islands are geologically associated with the Nova Scotia peninsula, including Boularderie Island, Brier Island, Long Island, Pictou Island, Tancook Island and various smaller islands along the Atlantic coast.
The peninsula can be divided into two distinct geological regions north and south of a fault line (the Cobequid and Chedabucto faults) extending between the Bay of Fundy sub-basins of the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay in the west, through to Chedabucto Bay in the east.
The northern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Avalon Uplands (the Cobequid Hills and Pictou-Antigonish Highlands) and the Carboniferous Lowlands, the latter of which straddles the fault zone.
The Cobequid Mountains contain the highest elevation points on the peninsula. This low, heavily eroded part of the Appalachian Mountains, along with the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands, comprises a highland across the northern portion of the peninsula with average elevations between 250–300 metres. It was heavily covered in sediment during glaciation; consequently it hosts an abundant forest as well as agricultural activities.
The Carboniferous Lowlands includes carboniferous sedimentary rocks south of the Minas Basin and along the north shore of the peninsula immediately south of the Northumberland Strait. The area south and east of the Minas Basin is dominated by karst topography lending to numerous gypsum deposits. Coal seams are found in the western and central areas of Cumberland County in the Joggins-River Hebert basin and the Springhill basin, along with the Debert basin and the Pictou basin.
Throughout the northern portion of the peninsula, the lowland plains, rolling uplands, and coastal fringe areas support numerous settlements, many of which developed around mineral extraction, particularly coal. When included with the Sydney and Inverness coal fields on Cape Breton Island, these regions were extremely prominent in the industrial and social development of Nova Scotia.
In addition to sharing the Carboniferous Lowlands, the southern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Atlantic Interior (Sissiboo Lowlands, South Mountain, various slate ridges), followed by the comparatively small Triassic Lowlands (the Annapolis Valley), and the Fundy Coast (including Economy Mountain and North Mountain) and Atlantic Coast regions.
The Atlantic Interior is dominated by a glacial landscape of exposed granitic rock, thick forest, drumlins and numerous lakes. The Sissiboo Lowlands comprise many river valleys and lowland inland areas in the southwest and central portion of the peninsula. The South Mountain is a steadily rising slope that descends sharply at the Annapolis Valley but more gradually toward the Atlantic, resulting in a plateau across much of the southwest interior of the peninsula with average elevations of 150 m and maximum elevations of 275 m. Slate ridges are prominent in the Rawdon Hills and Wittenburg Ridge areas along the boundary with the Carboniferous Lowlands.
The Fundy Coast region includes the North Mountain ridge as well as the Digby Neck and the Economy Mountain areas along the north side of the Minas Basin. The Atlantic Coast region includes the barren and wind-swept regions from Yarmouth to Canso, extending several kilometres inland.
The Triassic Lowlands is an area of soft sandstone, much of which is covered by water resulting from sea level rise. The remnant is the open ended Annapolis Valley which is sheltered by the Fundy Coast and the Atlantic Interior, providing a micro-climate unique to the Atlantic provinces and conducive to fruit and vegetable farming.
The term Acadian Peninsula has been used to describe the present-day Nova Scotia peninsula in historic documents. Prior to 1713, this territory was the heart of the French colony of Acadia, which focused its settlement efforts along the southern and northeastern shores of Baie Francois (now the Bay of Fundy).
The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 gave Great Britain control of "Acadia", however the boundaries were never properly defined. Acadia is considered by many historians to have encompassed present-day New Brunswick, eastern Maine, Anticosti Island, the Gaspé Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island - in other lands along the southern and western shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (some treaties have placed the boundary of Acadia as far south as Massachusetts).
The large peninsula that is today the mainland portion of the province of Nova Scotia was referred to as the Acadian Peninsula at the time that Britain took control, with this territory falling under the Colony of Nova Scotia.
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Statistics Canada defines the Annapolis Valley as an economic region, composed of Annapolis County, Kings County, and Hants County.
The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (PEI). The Maritimes had a population of 1,813,606 in 2016. Together with Canada's easternmost province, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime provinces make up the region of the Atlantic provinces.
The Bay of Fundy is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the US state of Maine. It has an extremely high tidal range. The name is likely a corruption of the French word Fendu, meaning "split".
Acadia was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early 18th centuries, Norridgewock on the Kennebec River and Castine at the end of the Penobscot River were the southernmost settlements of Acadia. The French government specified land bordering the Atlantic coast, roughly between the 40th and 46th parallels. It was eventually divided into British colonies. The population of Acadia included the various indigenous First Nations that comprised the Wabanaki Confederacy, the Acadian people and some small Scottish settlements.
The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and a sub-basin of the Fundy Basin located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for its extremely high tides.
The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America.
Beaubassin was an important Acadian village and trading centre on the Isthmus of Chignecto in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. The area was a significant place in the geopolitical struggle between the British and French empires. It was established in the 1670s on an upland close to an extensive area of saltwater marsh. Settlers reclaimed the land to engage in cattle ranching and trade.
Grand-Pré is a Canadian rural community in Kings County, Nova Scotia. Its French name translates to "Great/Large Meadow" and the community lies at the eastern edge of the Annapolis Valley several kilometres east of the town of Wolfville on a peninsula jutting into the Minas Basin surrounded by extensive dyked farm fields, framed by the Gaspereau and Cornwallis Rivers. The community was made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Evangeline and is today home to the Grand-Pré National Historic Site. On June 30, 2012, the Landscape of Grand-Pré was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Eastern Shore is a region of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is the Atlantic coast running northeast from Halifax Harbour to the eastern end of the peninsula at the Strait of Canso.
Guysborough is an unincorporated Canadian community in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is a province located in Eastern Canada fronting the Atlantic Ocean. One of the Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia's geography is complex, despite its relatively small size in comparison to other Canadian provinces.
The New England-Acadian forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion in North America that includes a variety of habitats on the hills, mountains and plateaus of New England in the Northeastern United States and Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Eastern Canada.
The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province.
Cape Chignecto is a headland located on the Bay of Fundy coast of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Chedabucto Bay is a large bay on the eastern coast of mainland Nova Scotia between the Atlantic Ocean and the Strait of Canso next to Guysborough County. At the entrance to Chedabucto Bay is the community of Canso at the head is the community of Guysborough and on the other end is the town of Mulgrave.
The Bay of Fundy Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when the British ordered the Expulsion of the Acadians from Acadia after the Battle of Fort Beauséjour (1755). The Campaign started at Chignecto and then quickly moved to Grand-Pré, Rivière-aux-Canards, Pisiguit, Cobequid, and finally Annapolis Royal. Approximately 7,000 Acadians were deported to the New England colonies.
The Battle of Chedabucto occurred against Fort St. Louis in Chedabucto on June 3, 1690 during King William's War (1689–97). The battle was part of Sir William Phips and New England's military campaign against Acadia. New England sent an overwhelming force to conquer Acadia by capturing the capital Port Royal, Chedabucto, and attacking other villages. The aftermath of these battles was unlike any of the previous military campaigns against Acadia. The violence of the attacks alienated many of the Acadians from the New Englanders, broke their trust, and made it difficult for them to deal amicably with the English-speakers.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nova Scotia:
Fort St. Louis was a French fort built in Chedabucto, Acadia. The British attacked in 1720 as they built Fort William Augustus at Canso.
